Category — 3.1 The “F” Professionals

Family Support Worker

Family support workers help the parents of all children. Some issues the support worker might help a family with are support with agencies and programs in the community, support for immigrant children and families, connecting with Ministry of Children and Families for financial aid, or issues of adaptation at school, missing school and others . Family support workers may work in parenting/counseling agencies. They may also work in, schools in their role as child, youth and family support workers. If the family has a child with special needs, the family support worker will also give them with information about the special need that the child has. The family support worker can also direct the family to resources that are available in their community. Some of the services offered by the family support worker are:Gathering information about the family to determine areas of struggle and concern;

Gathering information about the family to determine areas of strengths. These areas can be used to help the family deal with any difficulties they may be encountering;

Offering support and guidance to families to help them reach practical and realistic solutions to their problems;

It is important to note that family support workers help families reach their own solutions to their own problems. This is done to make sure that families do not become dependent on their family support worker;

Providing information about child development, discipline, special needs and education;

Helping families connect with support groups and other needed services in their community;